


Blindsided

by Wells_Whales_DinosaurTales



Category: Megamind (2010)
Genre: Blind AU, F/M, Implied/Referenced Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 13:46:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13705692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wells_Whales_DinosaurTales/pseuds/Wells_Whales_DinosaurTales
Summary: After an armed robbery was averted by someone other than Metro Man, Roxanne Ritchi is asked to interview the man responsible for the heroic deed. Who would have guessed that the civilian hero in question is none other than the smartest man in Metro City?





	Blindsided

“Warden? What does blue look like?”

Warden Dave Roberts looked down at the curious boy absently rubbing his fingers on Minion’s sphere. He had asked this question before and Dave didn’t have a clear answer for him then. As the child waited, Dave could only smile.

“Well, blue is like water. It’s wet and surrounds you in a hug if there’s enough of it. It’s when you feel calm and relaxed and you figure that everything will be okay, even if it isn’t.” He kneeled next to the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. “Blue reminds me of you.”

The child smiled, pondering the answer he was given. Unconventional, but then it was hard to explain colors to someone who couldn’t see them.

“Mika?”

The boy turned to face Dave, brilliant, unseeing green eyes acknowledging that the Warden had been heard.

“Do you like living in the prison?”

“Hm? I guess I do. I don’t really have anything to compare it to.”

“Would you like to live with me?”

“You don’t live here too, Warden?”

The boy sounded astonished and Dave couldn’t help the laughter that spilled out of him.

“No, I don’t live here too. Do you want to live in my house?”

The child remained silent for a few moments, rubbing the sphere that held his fishy companion as though waiting for an answer from him. With a determined look on his face, he nodded at Dave. The older man’s smile widened.

“Well, that settles that. Let’s go collect your things, okay?”

The boy sprung to his feet with excitement and took Dave’s hand, allowing the Warden to lead him back to his makeshift room one last time.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Mika walked into his favorite bookstore, Hades’ Library, with Minion following close behind him. The two rarely went anywhere separately and this was one of their favorite weekly errands.

“Hello Dr. Roberts! How are you today?”

The clerk, Teresa, was a good friend. The brothers only came into the shop when she was working as she always made them feel welcome to peruse the bookshelves.

“I’m doing well, thank you for asking. You wouldn’t, by chance, have a copy of The Canterbury Tales on tape, would you? I’ve been meaning to grow acquainted with Mr. Chaucer.”

“I’m not sure if it would be on the shelves, but I can check the back for you real quick.”

“I would greatly appreciate that.”

Teresa skipped through a doorway that had a sign above it that read “Employees Only.” Mika hummed a nonsensical tune as he waited for the clerk to return. Minion browsed through the cookbooks, casually looking for the only Julia Child cookbook he was missing from his collection. Teresa was back within three minutes, an audiobook in her grasp.

“It appears that we do have Geoffrey Chaucer for you, Dr. Roberts.”

Mika’s smile was infectious. Minion released a triumphant “Aha!” as he found the book he had been looking for, Julia Child & Company. The fish handed Teresa his selection and the clerk rang up their purchase with a smile that said you two always make my day. Her smile vanished in an instant when a man burst through the door with a gun in his hand. He was only slightly smaller than Minion, who quickly blocked the intruder’s way. This prompted the man to point his gun at the glass tank atop Minion’s suit.

“Get out of my way, you freaky gorilla. Gimme everything in the register. Now!”

Those were the only words he was able to say before he was transformed into a two-inch cube. Teresa immediately called the police, requesting that they come pick up the would-be robber. Minion just stared at the cube with a sigh.

“Did I get his gun?”

“No, you got him.”

“Oh. Well, he’ll be okay. He just needs a little water.”

Mika and Minion waited with Teresa until the police arrived. Their flabbergasted expressions at the state of the intruder caused Minion to smirk. They asked a few questions about what the attempted robber had done and whether Mika had a permit for the dehydration gun. When they were finished, the assailant rehydrated and handcuffed in the back of the squad car, Mika and Minion bid Teresa a good and “hopefully less exciting” day. The two brothers quickly headed home, knowing that their father would want to know what took them so long to buy a couple of books.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxanne looked up from her sandwich to find her boss smiling down at her. She knew that smile. That meant work and work made her smile.

“What do you have for me, Phil?”

“On the surface, it looks like a fluff piece.” He giggled at Roxanne’s chagrin. “I know, but hear me out. So, an attempted robber was thwarted at a small bookshop a couple days ago.”

He waited for Roxanne to nod, letting him know that she was at least vaguely interested, before he continued. “The guy wasn’t apprehended by police or Metro Man.” Roxanne raised her eyebrow at him. She knew this game. He was trying to get her curious and she was annoyed that it worked every single time.

“Who was it?”

Phil’s wolfish grin made her both nervous and extremely intrigued.

“Dr. Mika Roberts.”

Dr. Mika Roberts. Roxanna was familiar with him. He was a homebody and supposedly an incredible genius, having several patents in his name and being an outspoken member of the physics and engineering communities. He was also an alien with blue skin and a phenomenally large cranium. Many of her co-workers, including Hal, referred to him as “Megamind.”

“Dr. Mika Roberts. So, you want me to interview him?”

“Precisely. Nobody has had the chance to interview him and this would be really good for KMCP 8 News.”

“I’ll preempt the interview by talking to the employees who were working during the attempted robbery. That way, I’ll have a reasonable excuse for interviewing him.”

“That’s my girl! I want this to be your top priority today.”

Roxanne gave Phil a salute and he walked back to his office. She finished the rest of her sandwich as quickly as possible and called the bookshop, Hades’ Library, to see if the employee who was there at the time of the crime was working and would be willing to be interviewed. Then she wrangled up Hal, herding him to the news van with his camera and heading to West Side Metro City.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“So, the attempted robber was suddenly turned into a glowing blue cube?”

“Yeap! The guy was okay, just dehydrated thanks to Dr. Roberts’s dehydration gun. All he needed was a little water, which we poured on him once the police arrived.”

“You were lucky that Dr. Roberts acted so quickly.”

“You bet we are! I was surprised too, his aim was incredibly accurate, despite the fact that he was actually aiming for the guy’s gun. He didn’t hit any of our merchandise. Guess that shows what a regular he is.”

“He comes here often?”

“It’s part of his weekly routine for him and his brother to come and buy a couple of books from us. Although, I consider them both as friends since they only ever come in when I’m working.”

Teresa smiled at Roxanne and the reporter could tell that she really cared deeply for the two men. She made a mental note to include Dr. Roberts’s brother in the interview, seeing as he was present at the time of the incident.

“A last, parting question, what kinds of books do they usually buy?”

This question got a laugh out of Teresa.

“Well, Dr. Roberts’s brother tends to buy either cookbooks or craft books, mostly sewing and knitting ones. He’s really talented in those departments. I’ve been over for dinner a few times and let me tell you, Minion makes a mean lasagna!”

“He sounds like he should open up his own business.”

“I keep telling him that! He’s a little hesitant though. Wants to keep an eye on his brother, which I don’t blame him for. Sometimes Dr. Roberts gets himself into trouble.”

Teresa shook her head, a smile still on her face. Roxanne wondered what kind of trouble a homebody like Dr. Roberts could possibly get into.

“Dr. Roberts listens to a variety of audiobooks. I think his favorites are the Romantics though. He’s bought more books on John Keats than he has of anything else.”

“Thank you for speaking with us today and sharing your story.”

“No problem!”

Roxanne made a slashing movement beneath her chin, an indication for Hal to stop filming. The reporter bid the clerk farewell and then went to pay Dr. Roberts a visit.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Mika was almost finished with The Friar’s Tale when the doorbell rang. He paused his book and listened, hearing Minion cooking dinner near the oven and their father washing dishes, the sink full of water. The doorbell rang again.

“Mika, could you go answer the door? Figure out who it is and what they want.”

“I can do that.”

He pulled of his headphones and headed for the door, his left hand gliding against the wall as he went. Without removing the chain, he opened the door.

“Hello? Who is it?”

A chipper young woman answered him, her voice warm and sweet like hot chocolate.

“Roxanne Ritchi from KMCP 8 News. I’m here with my cameraman Hal Stewart.”

Confused, Mika decided to let them in.

“Please hold on one moment.”

He closed the door, quickly unlatching the chain and opening the door wider so that the reporter and her cameraman could see him. The screen still separated them, giving him enough space to escape if necessary.

“What can I do for you, Ms. Ritchi and her cameraman Hal Stewart from KMCP 8 News?”

Mika heard her giggle as well as another voice snort. He assumed that to be Hal Stewart. He smiled. He always loved making others laugh.

“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to ask you and your brother some questions about the incident at Hades’ Library.”

Mika’s smile grew wider. He pushed open the screen door for them.

“Please make yourselves comfortable. I’ll be right back.”

He waited until he heard them both sit down before heading back to the kitchen. His father was apparently drying the dishes now because Mika no longer heard any water. Minion had just finished dinner preparations and placed the dish into the oven, Mika hearing the oven door slip shut.

“Who was at the door Mika?”

“Ms. Roxanne Ritchi and her cameraman Hal Stewart from KMCP 8 News.”

Mika could tell that both his brother and father were staring at him.

“What did they want?”

“They want to ask Minion and I some questions about what happened at the bookshop.”

His father let out a sigh.

“You let them in, huh?”

Mika nodded, suddenly unsure of himself.

“I’m sorry. Should I have sent them away?”

“No, it’s alright. Let me greet them.”

Mika listened as his father walked out of the room. Minion walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

“So, we get to be interviewed, huh? Just like Metro Man does when he saves the day!”

That made Mika smile. He always liked the idea of being a hero and Metro Man’s feats were nothing to scoff at. So, Minion’s comparison made it all the better.

“Would you like to meet them?”

“Of course!”

Mika could hear the smile in his brother’s voice. The two walked into the living room, listening as their father spoke to the reporter and her cameraman.

“So, what made you decide to interview my boys?”

“Well, it’s not every day that someone other than the MCPD and Metro Man saves the day. We want people to see that even ordinary citizens can do their part, that anyone can be a hero, even if it’s for something small.”

Mika beamed at her words. She called them ordinary citizens and heroes. He had never felt so flattered in his entire life. Mika heard his father chuckle.

“Well, let me formally introduce my sons, Minion and Mika Roberts.”

Mika snickered as he heard Minion practically scamper over to the two guests.

“Hello! It’s lovely to make your acquaintance Ms. Ritchi and Mr. Stewart. Would either of you care for a drink? Coffee or Tea?”

“Coffee would be lovely.”

Her voice like hot chocolate made Mika weak at the knees.

“Coffee’s good.”

“Excellent! I will be right back.”

Minion brushed past Mika, but not before he gave his brother’s shoulder a squeeze. Mika took that as his cue to interact with their guests. A sudden bout of nerves made his stomach churn. He never felt comfortable answering questions, especially when he didn’t know who was asking. He wished he could see what they looked like, but he would have to sacrifice some comfort in order to get through life. That’s what his father always told him. He squeezed his fingers together before addressing the reporter and her cameraman.

“Um, this may seem like an odd request, but may I look at you? Both of you?”

There was a pause. Mika could practically feel them staring at him. Finally, he heard Ms. Ritchi let out a soft “Oh.” Heat rose to his cheeks, making him feel further embarrassed.

“Of course.”

“Yeah. Sure man.”

Mika breathed in relief. He extended his hands, Ms. Ritchi’s hands guiding his to her face. He gently ran his fingers along her jaw, feeling her lips, her nose, her eyelids, eyebrows, hairline, ears, everything. Mika ran his fingers through her hair, then pulled away in awe. She was beautiful. Nervously, he reached out again, this time letting Hal Stewart guide his hands to his face. Hal Stewart felt familiar and Mika could not figure out why as he was sure he had never met him before. Mika pulled his hands back to himself, thoughts reeling around the two new faces he has gotten to feel.

“Thank you.”

Mika smiled softly at his hands. It was at that moment that Minion returned with coffee for Ms. Ritchi and Hal Stewart.

“Well, shall we get started then?”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxanne felt that the interview went well. Dr. Roberts and Minion answered all her questions completely and without hesitation. Mr. Roberts seemed a bit taken aback by his sons’ enthusiasm, as though it was the first time he had seen them behave that way. However, what Roxanne thought about the rest of the evening was Dr. Roberts. She was astounded at herself for not noticing until he asked to look at them that he was blind. His eyes were so vibrantly green. She couldn’t stop herself from staring at them whenever he spoke, grateful that he would be none the wiser. Teresa’s comment about how she was surprised by his aim made sense now.

When they got back to the office, Hal asked Roxanne out, this time to an apparently new burger place on 5th and Capital, which Roxanne refused, as she always does. She headed home quickly after saying her goodbyes to Hal and requesting that he edit the material from the interviews for tomorrow. Her apartment was quiet and empty save for herself, but she still heard the gentle laughter of the blue-skinned doctor ringing in her ears. She wanted to see him again and that thought made her nervous.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The office was full of a quiet humming the following morning, garnering Roxanne’s curiosity. When she asked one of the interns what was going on, she was immediately directed to Hal’s desk. What has he done now. Roxanne was unsure whether she should be shocked or annoyed at her cameraman once she saw what was playing on his computer screen.

“Roxie! I have the video all edited if you want to give it a looksee. Let me know if I should change it up.”

“Hal, what is that?”

She knew what it was. She could see clearly that it was Dr. Roberts touching her face, his eyes half lidded and his brows knit together in concentration. What she wanted to know was why. Why was there a recording of this in the first place?

“Hmm? Oh! I got a shot of him looking at you. Did you know that nobody here knew he was blind? That makes this story hella more interesting! Makes him more of a badass!”

“Hal, we can’t show people that. We didn’t have permission to film him doing that, only answering our questions.”

Hal pouted, but she could tell that he knew she was right.

“Right. Sorry. I’ll make sure it doesn’t get included. Do you wanna watch the rest of it though? If I’m already gonna edit stuff out, I kinda want to do it all at once, you know?”

Roxanne smiled and nodded. Hal was nice, aside from his utter obliviousness, but he had a habit of getting carried away. The rest of the piece was good. All the angles were great and included the most important aspects of the story.

“It looks great Hal. Just take out that one part and we should be good to go!”

Roxanne returned to her desk, ready for another boring day. She preferred doing live reports, but some days were filled with paperwork and research. Taking a deep breath, she turned on her computer and continued her investigation into the recent increase of hostile architecture in Metro City.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Mika listened intently as his father and brother watched Ms. Ritchi’s report on the attempted robbery. He swooned whenever her voice reached his ears.

“—you to react quickly?”

“I couldn’t just let them get hurt.”

Mika could tell how excited Minion was to see himself on television. He was excited too, but mostly because he loved hearing Ms. Ritchi’s warm voice.

“She’s beautiful.”

Mika didn’t know that he spoke aloud, didn’t realize that his father and brother had heard him and were staring at him in surprise. They didn’t say anything, not wanting to embarrass him. Although, it did make Dave curious. He had seen the way she had stared at him during the interview. He wondered what would happen if the two were to meet again.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Mika walked through the park, cane in hand. He told Minion that he needed fresh air and time to think. Naturally, his brother’s overprotectiveness made itself known. However, his fishy companion conceded, setting an alarm on his watch to make sure that Mika headed home at a decent hour.

Mika had walked this route hundreds of times with Minion, but this was the first time he had done it alone. He knew where he was going, but there was an anxious nagging at the back of his mind saying but what if you get lost. He brushed the thought aside, but it kept returning. With a sigh, he turned around, immediately bumping into someone and falling to the ground. He heard them fall as well.

“I am terribly sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. I should have been watching where I was going.”

Mika was taken aback. Not only did the other person take full blame, but it sounded a lot like—

“Ms. Ritchi?”

“Dr. Roberts! Wow, I really wasn’t paying attention. I guess reading while walking isn’t always the best idea.”

Mika laughed.

“Reading, huh? I’ve been instructed by Minion to remain seated when listening to my audiobooks after running into him one too many times.”

Ms. Ritchi laughed this time. Her laugh was just as warm and sweet as her speaking voice.

“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me at all. Here, let me help you up.”

Mika listened as Ms. Ritchi got to her feet. He extended his arms and allowed her to pull him off the ground.

“So, what are you doing out and about?”

“I just needed some fresh air without Minion breathing down my neck.”

“Your brother do that often?”

“You have no idea. He’s convinced that the government will steal me away when he isn’t watching me like a hawk.”

“Steal you away? For what?”

“I think he’s watched too many sci-fi films where aliens get experimented on and vice-versa. Honestly, the government is more likely to kidnap me to make them weapons than experiment on me. Besides, experimenting on a legal citizen is kind of a big no-no.”

Mika worried that he said too much, but then Ms. Ritchi laughed again. Oh, how he loved her laugh.

“Well, if you’re not worried then I won’t be either. It’d be a real shame if the government did take you away.”

That made Mika happier than he thought it should, but he didn’t care.

“Are you headed anywhere in particular, this fine day, Ms. Ritchi?”

He could hear the smile in her voice.

“Nowhere in particular. I’d love for you to accompany me and please, call me Roxanne.”

Mika took a sharp breath. Roxanne. She wanted him to call her Roxanne. With as much dramatic flair as possible, he extended his elbow for her. She put her arm on his and he felt happy and warm.

“Well, Roxanne, please allow me to be your escort to nowhere.”

She laughed again. His smile was going to be permanently fixed to his face.

“And please, call me Mika.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Mika returned home, smiling and giddy, his father and brother could only wonder what made him so happy. They didn’t ask. Mika always preferred telling them things of his own volition rather than answering questions. However, Mika didn’t tell them what had happened. He spent the rest of the evening in the most cheerful mood his father had ever seen.

Dave’s curiosity was satiated when he saw the tabloid one of the prison guards was reading when he went into work the next morning. On the cover was a snapshot of Ms. Roxanne Ritchi arm-in-arm with Mika in the park. The headline is what made him decide to take a longer lunch break later. Budding Romance? The Reporter and the Alien Scientist.

“Read on your own time.”

The guard hastily closed the paper and folded it under his arm. Dave continued his rounds through each cell block, briefly visiting the empty one that used to be Mika’s and Minion’s.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxanne was finishing up her research on three drug busts that happened over the weekend when her boss approached her.

“What’s up Phil?”

“You have a visitor. You can use my office to talk. Try to keep it short?”

Curious, Roxanne nodded and headed into his office. She wasn’t sure who would visit her at work, but she was surprised to see that it was Warden Dave Roberts of all people.

“Mr. Roberts! What can I do for you?”

“What are your intentions with my son?”

Roxanne was taken aback.

“I beg your pardon?”

He handed her a local tabloid. Roxanne hesitantly took the paper from him and read the headline, seeing that she and Mika were on the front cover. Her face took on a rosy hue at what she was in front of her.

“What are your intentions with my son?”

Roxanne looked up from the paper in her hands. He didn’t seem angry, only thoughtful. This helped her relax, if only a little.

“I want to get to know him.”

The Warden’s eyebrows rose, but Roxanne was more focused on the smile on his face.

“I thought so, but I needed to make sure. There are a lot of people around here that like to pretend to be his friend. He needs more support than just his family, Teresa, Professor Martinez, and the people at I Dream of Donuts.”

Roxanne smiled, having discovered the other day Mika’s love for baked confections. The short list of those closest to him made her wonder. It was astonishing how reluctant others were to interact with someone as brilliant as Mika. She hoped that maybe she could help people to see him as the goofy, intelligent, and lovable person that he was.

“I would be honored to be able to support him in any way that I can.”

“Thank you. Well, I should really get back to the prison. You should come over for dinner sometime this week. I know that Minion would love to cook something for you.”

“I’d be delighted to!”

“Excellent. Here’s the number for the landline. Just give us a call. Have a good day, Ms. Ritchi.”

Roxanne watched him leave and then returned to her desk. It was only then that she realized she was still holding the tabloid. While she was annoyed by the intrusiveness, she couldn’t help but admire the quality of the picture and wondered if she could retrieve the original for herself.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Minion was frantically setting the table. He had only just finished cooking. When Ms. Ritchi had called he couldn’t help but feel excited. Everything had to be perfect for when she ate his food. He had asked her preferences and if she had any allergies and she had said no and that he should surprise her. As a result, he decided to make Julia Child’s Coq au Vin, which took all afternoon. He prepared some buttered egg noodles to serve the dish on and a salad with a lemon vinaigrette as a side. Now all that was left was to wait for Ms. Ritchi to arrive.

He took a deep breath and left the kitchen to find Mika sitting on the couch with his knees pulled into his chest. Minion found this strange as he had been the one who was most excited about Ms. Ritchi’s visit. He made his way over to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder, not speaking until Mika placed his own hand atop his mechanical one.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m not quite sure. I’m excited, but I’m also really nervous.”

“Why do you think you might be nervous.”

“I don’t know. I like talking to Roxanne. She’s a wonderful person and she makes me happy. I don’t understand why I feel scared to talk to her now.”

Minion paused a moment to gather his thoughts. He wanted Mika to figure out his feelings on his own, but perhaps he should tell him. At the very least he could point him in the right direction.

“Well, why don’t you think about all the things you like about her instead of thinking about what to say to her.”

“That could be helpful. Thank you, Minion.”

Minion gave him a quick pat on the shoulder before heading to the door to see if Ms. Ritchi had arrived yet. She had not, so he returned to the kitchen to check on the food. He was about to move the salad bowl for the twelfth time when the doorbell rang and his father shouted, “I’ll get it.”

Minion rushed into the living room. Mika had his feet on the ground now, but he still seemed nervous. At least until Roxanne walked in and greeted him. Any fears that had been plaguing his mind had vanished from his face the moment she said his name. Minion beamed. His brother only looked that happy when he heard her voice.

“Hello Minion!”

“Greetings Ms. Ritchi! Welcome back!”

“Thank you and please, call me Roxanne.”

“I will do my best, ma’am.”

He gave her a comical salute and she laughed. He heard Mika take a sharp breath when she did. Minion’s smile widened. So, he likes it when she laughs. Without further ado, Minion ushered them all into the kitchen. He caught his father’s eyes with a smile as the old man winked at him. This was going to be a lovely dinner, Minion just knew it.

And he was right, except for that it was better than he could have hoped. Roxanne loved his cooking, a fact she made abundantly clear during dinner. Minion pulled out some homemade peach cobbler he had baked that morning for dessert and served it with vanilla ice cream. Roxanne complimented his work repeatedly to the point where Minion was blushing for most of the meal.

His favorite part, however, was whenever Roxanne would engage Mika in conversation. She happily answered all his questions about her life and work and she phrased her words in such a way that Minion knew she was asking a question even if it didn’t sound like one. He smiled at that knowing that Mika must have confessed he didn’t like questions to her during their rendezvous in the park (a meeting which their father informed him had occurred and to not tell Mika that it was in the paper).

While their father rang up a taxi for Roxanne to take home, Minion watched as she and Mika spoke quietly to each other. He almost felt it inappropriate to be watching their intimacy, but he had to keep an eye on Mika. It was his job as a brother to look out for him.

When the taxi rolled up to the curb, Roxanne pressed a quick kiss onto Mika’s cheek before hopping inside. Minion smiled brightly as his brother watched the taxi disappear.

“She kissed me.”

Mika spoke as though it was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened in his life. Minion felt just as giddy as Mika had when he returned home from the park after running into Roxanne. He looked at their father who was glowing with satisfaction.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxanne squealed with glee as soon as she closed the door to her apartment. She couldn’t believe that she kissed him, but she did. She kissed him. Her lips tingled. It was a gentle, quick peck on the cheek, but still. Her mind was reeling.

Everything about that night had been amazing. Minion’s food was to die for and Mika was so engaging that she couldn’t not talk to him! She wondered briefly if it would be like that every time she went over for dinner. She stopped in her tracks.

“You’re getting in too deep too fast, Roxanne. Chill out.”

Except, now that it was in her head, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She liked them. She liked their family dynamics, the welcoming atmosphere, the feeling of joy she got when she talked to them, but most of all, she liked Mika. She liked talking to him, she liked his bright green eyes, and she really liked his laugh.

“You are in for it now, Roxanne.”

She smiled, a hope for more blooming in her chest.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxanne didn’t normally get kidnapped. So, when Psycho Delic nabbed her to demonstrate his power as a supervillain, she was irked at the interruption into her schedule. She refused to cooperate with him and Metro Man rescued her before the drug addled villain could do anything to her. Her boss gave her the rest of the day off, which she appreciated.

When she got home, she received a frantic phone call. It wasn’t from her mother, who was usually the culprit, but from Minion.

“Are you alright?”

“Minion? Yeah, I’m okay. Metro Man rescued me before he could try anything.”

“Thank goodness. I didn’t tell my brother because I was afraid of inducing a panic attack, but maybe if you talk to him and tell him what happened it will be okay.”

Minion didn’t sound completely convinced, but Roxanne didn’t feel right about leaving Mika out of the loop.

“Yeah. Sure, I can do that.”

“Thank you. Please hold on for a moment.”

She listened as he called for Mika. The second that she heard him hand the phone over, she felt a lump lodge in her throat.

“Hello?”

Mika’s voice made the butterflies in Roxanne’s stomach swoon.

“Hey Mika.”

“H-hello Roxanne. I’m glad you called, but aren’t you at work?”

“I got the rest of the day off.”

“Really?”

She swallowed the lump in her throat and spoke carefully and quietly.

“Yeah. I was kidnapped today, so my boss decided it might be good if I took the rest of the afternoon off.”

She heard the moment Mika stopped breathing.

“Don’t worry though. Metro Man got there just in time to stop Psycho Delic’s shenanigans before anything happened to me. I’m okay.”

It came out in a rush, but she needed Mika to be okay.

“Mika?”

“I-I’m here. I j-just—Roxanne are you sure you’re okay? Psycho Delic is, I’m pretty sure, clinically insane so— “

“I promise. I’m okay, Mika. Would you feel better if you and Minion came over?”

There was a long pause after that. Roxanne was worried that she overstepped her boundaries, but she couldn’t help it. He was worried about her and she was worried about him being worried about her! It made her dizzy trying to think about it. She waited and was about to recant her offer when Minion spoke into the phone.

“If you could give me your address, we’ll be over as soon as possible.”

Roxanne gave Minion the address to her apartment building and specified which apartment she lived in. Roughly twenty minutes later, Minion was knocking on her door with Mika in tow. She welcomed them in and was immediately bombarded with hugs. Roxanne almost cried.

“You guys are too sweet.”

“We’re just glad that you’re okay!”

Mika didn’t say anything, just kept holding her as if he was trying to convince himself that she was real. She squeezed him back to reassure him.

“Would it be alright if I used your kitchen? I think we all could use some tea.”

Roxanne nodded, gesturing to the best of her ability with Mika in her arms where the kitchen was. As Minion rushed off to make tea, Roxanne guided Mika to her couch. She had him sit down and then quickly sat next to him, never letting go of his hand.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Mika nodded. He released a shuddering breath and Roxanne could see the tears in his eyes. She gently squeezed his hand and he returned the gesture. Minion returned quickly enough with tea, sugar, honey, and a plate of cookies. He must have raided the pantry. He prepared a cup for Mika, who took it with shaking hands. He looked to Roxanne inquisitively.

“I like mine straight.”

Minion nodded and poured her a cup with no sweeteners. He handed it to her and looked her over, as though checking to see if something was amiss.

“So, you’re really okay?”

“Yes, Minion, I swear I’m okay. Like I said, Metro Man got there before anything bad happened.”

“Other than you getting kidnapped.”

Roxanne and Minion turned to Mika. Roxanne squeezed his hand again and he let out a sigh. It was Minion who caught them both off-guard.

“That bungling oaf. At least he’s good for something.”

That was probably the meanest statement Roxanne had heard out of Minion’s mouth. Mika squeezed Roxanne’s hand, seeking comfort which she was happy to give.

“You guys don’t like Metro Man, do you.”

Mika shook his head and Minion released an audible huff before speaking.

“That man has given me no reason to like him, no sir. He’s mean and selfish and doesn’t care when other people get hurt because of his ignorance.”

“Wow. What did he do? The rest of the city considers him to be a hero.”

Mika raised an eyebrow.

“You say that as though you don’t.”

Roxanne rolled her eyes.

“Oh he ‘saves people,’ but he’s too obsessed with smiling at cameras. He’s incredibly self-absorbed. However, I’ve never seen him be cruel to anyone or even ignore people when they get hurt. When someone does get hurt, he tears himself up about it. You have no idea how many medical bills he’s covered.”

“63.”

Mika pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his free arm around them. His other hand still held on to Roxanne’s.

“We went to grade school together before dad decided to homeschool us.”

Roxanne looked from Mika to Minion.

“You went to school with Metro Man?”

“Back then he was just Wayne Scott, but yeah.”

“He went to an incredibly private school.”

“Yeah, the ‘Lil Gifted School. It wasn’t a real school, but we didn’t find that out until we didn’t go there anymore. His parents created and funded it.”

Roxanne listened intently as Minion shared the piece of their childhood that had Mika balled up on her couch. She squeezed his hand and he squeezed back. His tea sat forgotten on her side table.

“Wayne Scott was a bully. He got all the other kids to gang up on Mika. They didn’t pay much attention to me. Why recognize a sentient fish alien as a person, right? It’s not like they treated Mika like a person. Yet, they treated Wayne Scott like he was one, but personally I think it’s because he scared the crap out of everyone. Who wants to challenge a guy with laser vision?”

“Your teacher didn’t put a stop to it?”

“She worked for the Scotts! She practically encouraged it! She probably enjoyed it too, since he was always pointing out her mistakes.”

“That’s horrible and incredibly irresponsible! I don’t care how rich a child’s parents are, they should not be allowed to get away with pulling crap like that!”

Mika smiled at Roxanne’s words, his shoulders relaxing from their previous tense position.

“I know! He couldn’t even defend himself. Wayne Scott knew how to disorient him enough that he was useless in a fight.”

“Yeah, it’s easy to make a blind kid useless in a fight.”

Minion and Roxanne looked at Mika with dismay.

“Just because something is easy, doesn’t make it right.”

“Well, dad pulled us out when I said something about how prison was better than school. We were homeschooled up until university. I went to Metro U and Minion took a number of online courses.”

“I’m glad you got out of that situation. Guess he eventually decided that helping people was a better choice than hurting them. Thank goodness for that, otherwise Metro City probably wouldn’t exist anymore.”

Mika shook his head.

“I created a failsafe in case that ever happened. Actually, that played a part in how I got my Doctorate. Of course, I never specified that it was for Metro Man, just that it was a way to combat superpowered evil. The Scotts would have had it destroyed otherwise.”

“What is it?”

The mischievous smirk on Mika’s face made Roxanne chuckle.

“It’s part of my dehydration gun.”

He pulled the gun out of its holster to show Roxanne. She hadn’t noticed that he had it with him.

“So, this is the gun you used to turn that robber into a cube.”

“Yes. However, it does more than just dehydrate organic matter. There are several settings, two of which work on Metro Man because he also went to Metro U and I asked him to be my guinea pig. He preferred the term test subject.”

Mika spun the barrel as though playing roulette, searching the braille with his fingers for the right settings to show Roxanne.

“Here. Debilitate. This setting completely incapacitates one’s opponent. I’d give you a demonstration, but it does not align with my moral code to test on people who don’t deserve it.”

Roxanne snorted.

“Thanks. And the other one?”

He spun the barrel once more.

“Demoralize. Literally takes the pep out of your step. I shot Wayne Scott with this once and he could not get himself together for an entire week. Luckily for him, I did these tests during winter break. Imagine getting daily doses of this. That was my proposition.”

“That’s amazing! I’d ask how you did it, but I probably wouldn’t understand. Engineering wasn’t my major.”

Mika chuckled.

“Engineering is quite different from journalism.”

“Actually, journalism was my minor. I was a computer science major.”

Mika was speechless. Minion was delighted.

“Computer science? Mika loves computers! He’s great with programming. He designed the burglar alarms for our house and the rest of the neighborhood!”

“Are you kidding? That’s amazing!”

Lavender spread across Mika’s face. He had a small smile on his face which Roxanne couldn’t help but mirror.

“You’re just full of surprises.”

Roxanne had a feeling that Mika would never stop surprising her. The three spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing, simply enjoying each other’s company. When Minion received a call from home, Roxanne was reluctant to let the brothers leave. It was then that she realized how frightening the situation with Psycho Delic had been and it blew her mind that Mika and Minion were able to make her forget about it completely just by being with her. The smile that grew on her lips remained until she fell asleep that night.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Her boss wanted her to do an interview with Metro Man. Phil’s argument was that it would be good PR for the station and good publicity for Roxanne herself. He was able to persuade her to agree, but she did not hide her hesitance from him. After the brothers had revealed how Wayne Scott had mistreated them when they were kids, she wanted nothing to do with the man. Before the interview—which had been scheduled before Roxanne had even agreed to do it—she forced herself to give Metro Man the benefit of the doubt by separating his identity from Wayne Scott’s. That helped her a little, but she still barely concealed her annoyance with him when Hal had finished setting up the camera and fixing the lighting.

“So, Roxie, how are you feeling? I know kidnappings can be rough— “

“You do? You’ve been kidnapped before?”

Metro Man laughed at her sarcastic quip. Roxanne struggled to keep from growling with annoyance at his overconfidence.

“You got me. No, I haven’t been kidnapped. However, I have interacted with many who have and they found the ordeal to be less than pleasant.”

“Well, I’m fine. Also, my name is Roxanne, not Roxie.”

“My apologies, Roxanne.”

Roxanne nodded at him and then turned to her cameraman who had a grumpy pout on his face that made her want to laugh. She didn’t though.

“Okay Hal. I think we’re ready to start filming.”

The interview went on for about an hour, much to Roxanne’s chagrin. She had hoped to wrap everything up within thirty minutes, but Metro Man had a habit of overexplaining every detail he could. There were some points during the interview that made sense to have him explain, but most of it was him droning on and on and Roxanne was relieved when it was all over.

“So, Roxanne, are you doing anything this evening?”

Roxanne heard Hal drop some equipment, but she didn’t say anything. She looked Metro Man in the eyes and glared.

“Yes. I promised to visit a friend after work.”

Roxanne was grateful for the Roberts’s open invitation to visit whenever she wished. Minion had insinuated that he was making Ratatouille that evening and she was not going to pass that up.

“Some other time perhaps?”

Metro Man only appeared slightly uncomfortable from her gaze, still much too confident for her liking. With Hal, she felt obligated to play nicely because they were co-workers. However, all she wanted to do with Metro Man was to shut him down.

“I don’t think so. Thank you for allowing us to interview you today. Goodbye, Metro Man.”

His fearfully bewildered face brought Roxanne great satisfaction. Hal stared at her in awe for a few moments before following her out to the news van.

“Whoa. That was hardcore. I’ve never seen you glare at anybody like that!”

“Yeah, well, he’s way too cocky for his own good.”

“Sure, but, it felt like you were straight up mad at him during the whole interview. He didn’t do something bad when he rescued you the other day, did he?”

Roxanne looked at Hal in shock. He sounded and looked genuinely concerned for her wellbeing. It was probably the only caring thing he had ever said to her.

“No. He didn’t do anything bad to me. I’m fine, honest. He was just getting on my nerves. I mean, did he really have to spell everything out for us like we didn’t know what he was talking about?”

Hal looked at her skeptically for a moment, but then shrugged it off.

“Yeah. It did kind of feel like he talking to you like he thought you were stupid.”

“Oh my gosh. He was mansplaining wasn’t he!”

With a huff, Roxanne hopped into the news van and slammed the door behind her. Hal followed nervously and the two headed back to the station. When Roxanne saw her boss, she had two words for him.

“Never again.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxanne watched contentedly while Mika played with her fingers. He was telling her about a new invention he was designing, a cyborg with canine DNA as a base for the organic aspect. He referred to it a brainbot, its function to act as an assistant in Professor Martinez’s lab. The television was on in the background. Dave was watching the news. Roxanne hadn’t noticed until Mika had stopped talking and she heard Metro Man say something onscreen. She groaned and shoved her face into the cushion of the couch. Mika squeezed her hand. She glanced at him and could see the concern on his face.

“Is everything alright, Roxanne?”

“Yeah. I just hated doing that interview.”

“Was it because of me and Minion?”

“A little. It was also because he kept calling me Roxie when I told him not to and he spent the entire interview mansplaining everything he said. And then he had the audacity to try and ask me out afterward. He’s so arrogant I wanted to punch him! I mean, I would’ve been the one who got hurt if I had, but still!”

Mika was quiet for a moment. He had a question, Roxanne could tell.

“I agree that he is quite arrogant, but I don’t quite understand what ‘mansplaining’ is.”

“To put it simply, he was explaining what he was saying to me, stuff that I already knew, as if I was too stupid to understand it.”

Mika’s anger was obvious, but it did not mask the flicker of worry that Roxanne saw in his beautiful, unseeing eyes.

“How utterly loathsome. I’m sorry you were forced to interact with him at all.”

“Yeah. So not worth my boss’s ‘do it for the publicity’ idea.”

“Your boss made you do it for publicity’s sake?”

“Yeap. Said it would be good for PR.”

Mika looked appalled and Roxanne couldn’t help giggling at his expression. She noted that the worry was still there though.

“Hal was shocked at how angry I was. Said he had never seen me glare at anyone the way I had at Metro Man.”

“You glared at him?”

“Heck yeah I glared at him! Guy spends the whole interview treating me like an idiot and then tries to ask me out? No way! Why would I go out with that jerk when I could have a much more enjoyable time with you guys? I would pick you over Metro Man any day.”

Mika took a sharp breath and squeezed Roxanne’s hand, a small smile playing at his lips. Minion watched from the doorway. His fins fluttered with excitement. Roxanne Ritchie was definitely a positive force in his brother’s—and his, if he’s honest—life.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Metro Man was waiting for her in Phil’s office when she went to work on Monday. She wanted to explain to her boss that she had no interest whatsoever in speaking to him, but she held her tongue to avoid coming across as incompetent. She grit her teeth and walked into the office, her glare fixed on the hero in front of her.

“What do you want?”

“I want to apologize for overstepping my boundaries. I should have kept a professional atmosphere and I didn’t. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable because of my inappropriate behavior.”

Roxanne softened her glare, but let her anger simmer in the background. He had only apologized for asking her out.

“I’ll accept your apology.”

He smiled, but Roxanne held her ground. He faltered a bit, but still appeared hopeful.

“Thank you. If you don’t mind, I’d like to start over and try to be friends.”

He extended his hand and Roxanne raised her eyebrow at it.

“Friends, huh? I’ll think about it.”

His smile fell completely. He dropped his hand back to his side.

“I really butchered your first impression of me, didn’t I.”

“Yes. Although, I did walk into that interview with my own biases against you.”

Metro Man looked confused. Roxanne smirked at him.

“You did?”

“Yes. I mean, I always found you overly cocky about your heroics, but I recently found out that you used to bully a dear friend of mine and I haven’t decided if I should forgive you for that.”

Metro Man paled at her words and Roxanne felt a little bad about it. Only a little though, she was still angry with him.

“You’re friends with Mika. Oh man, I’m sorry. I don’t—I don’t really know how to apologize to him. We’ve interacted several times during college and a few times after, but the words always get trapped in my throat and I freeze up. I want to apologize, but I—geez.”

Roxanne wanted to leave him floundering in his own words, but she couldn’t. It annoyed her how generous she was being with him. He didn’t deserve it.

“Swallow the lump in your throat and just do it. It won’t make up for the hurt you’ve caused him, but it might make him feel like you’ve changed at least a little.”

He nodded solemnly and Roxanne sighed.

“If you want to change things, you have to make those changes. I need to get back to work. I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide to do.”

And with that, she walked out of the office and back to her desk. No one bothered her for the rest of the day, something that she was grateful for.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“No Minion today?”

Mika could hear the smile in Teresa’s voice. She was always so cheerful and bubbly and Mika always delighted to speak with her.

“Nope. He didn’t sleep well last night, so he’s trying to make up for it.”

“Aww. Well, let him know that he was missed.”

“Of course! So, you wouldn’t happen to have a copy of Smith of Wootton Major by Tolkien, would you? A friend recommended it to me.”

“I think so! Hold on a minute.”

Mika listened as Teresa rushed over to the audiobooks and returned with what he presumed he was looking for.

“Do you mind if it also includes Leaf by Niggle?”

“Not at all! That just means I get to enjoy it all the more.”

Mika beamed as Teresa rang up his purchase. He was not familiar with Tolkien’s short stories, but Roxanne had recommended it. He trusted her judgement after having had a two-hour discussion with her on conspiracy theories regarding Shakespeare’s true identity. 

If Mika hadn’t been so focused on his thoughts, he would have noticed the person entering the bookshop before the gun was trained on the back of his head. The only forewarning he received was Teresa’s sudden intake of air. Mika did not move as the assailant whispered in his ear.

“Make a scene and you and the girl die.”

Mika swallowed hard. He gave a shallow nod and the gunman let out a dark chuckle.

“Good. Little lady, would you be a dear and give me as close to $500 as you can from the register?”

Mika remained still, heart falling as he heard Teresa open the register and pull out an assortment of cash and coins.

“Let’s see now. You only have $357.84. Business ain’t boomin’. Well, no matter. Thank you for your cooperation. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be on my way.”

Mika almost sighed in relief, but then the gunman twisted his arm around his back, keeping the gun on him.

“Let’s go, brother.”

Mika was shoved out the door and into a waiting vehicle. He tried to sit up, but the assailant pushed him back down.

“Don’t move a muscle.”

Mika went numb with fear. He felt his wrists being tied with rope and then his feet were pushed into the vehicle, causing his body to fall off the seat.

“Stay.”

He heard the door slam and his kidnapper open the driver’s side door. Soon enough, the engine revved and Mika waited for what was sure to be his demise.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxanne startled as someone pounded on her apartment door. She hadn’t been expecting anyone to come visit and was suspicious at how they were making their presence known. She grabbed her baseball bat out of the closet and looked through her door’s peephole before putting it down. It was Minion and Teresa. Roxanne had an unsettling feeling in her stomach when she saw that Mika was not with them. She opened the door and almost immediately Teresa burst into tears.

“What happened?”

A sequence of images flashed through Roxanne’s mind all at once, each one revealing an image of Mika injured or worse. She prayed she was wrong, but the look in Minion’s eyes told her otherwise.

“There was another robbery at the bookshop. This one was successful and not only ended in monetary loss, but a kidnapping. They got Mika. I-I should have been there! I could have done something!”

The despair in his voice made Roxanne’s heart ache.

“I’m a terrible brother.”

“You are not.”

Her voice sounded far away in her ears, but she continued anyway.

“We are going to find him and he will be okay. You contacted the police, right?”

The two nodded, Teresa still in tears.

“I-I called Warden Roberts and he h-has the whole f-force l-looking for him.”

“Okay. Do you know what the guy looked like?”

Teresa shook her head, more tears streaming down her cheeks.

“He was wearing a ski-i mask and h-had every i-inch of himself covered. He was t-taller than Mika though. I think h-he was a little under six-feet.”

Roxanne frowned. The information that Teresa had could describe any number of people in Metro City.

“H-his eyes…”

Roxanne and Minion looked at Teresa. She looked positively mortified.

“I-I can’t believe I didn’t notice. I know who kidnapped Mika.”

Teresa hesitated. Minion put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing as gently as he could to keep her grounded. Roxanne felt hopeful for about three seconds.

“It was Psycho Delic.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Mika struggled to breathe as he sat, bound to the concrete floor of wherever his kidnapper had taken him. There was a great deal of smoke in the air and he knew that whoever had taken him prisoner was at least involved with Psycho Delic, whether it was the madman himself or one of his drugged-up lackeys.

“Well now, Doctor. I think it’s time you and I had a little heart-to-heart, don’t you?”

His laughter rang in Mika’s ears. It was definitely Psycho Delic who was responsible.

“Is that right?”

Mika could barely choke the words out. The smoke made his throat burn and his eyes water. He listened carefully as the villain sat down in front of him. Mika let out a startled yelp as his chin was grabbed and he was forced to face the drug lord he couldn’t see.

“Well I’ll be! You’re blinder than a bat, aren’t you! That’s fantastic!”

The madman howled with laughter while Mika cringed. He hated feeling powerless and he felt his anxiety skyrocket.

“No wonder it was so easy to get the jump on you. Makes me almost feel bad. Almost.”

His laughter faded into a low chuckle.

“So, Doc, let’s talk about why you’re here. Any guesses?”

Mika shook his head, but only slightly as Psycho Delic still had a hold on him. The smoke was getting worse and Mika had a feeling that it was because of the villain’s laughter, the sound of which was still ringing in his ears like tinnitus.

“No? Guess I’ll just have to spell it out for you. You see, I’ve been meaning to test out this new smoke of mine. I was gonna use it on that pretty little reporter friend of yours, but Elvis took her before she even got a whiff. It was a shame, so I had to improvise. That’s where you come in, Doc. I’m gonna test my smoke on you and if I think the results are satisfactory, then you’re gonna build me a machine to spread the love. Sound like a plan?”

Mika was horrified. It was one thing to use him as a test subject, but to force him into creating something that would be detrimental to the residents of Metro City was not something that Mika ever planned to do.

“You can test on me all you like, but I will never build anything for you.”

His voice was hoarse, but that didn’t matter to him. He was going to fight Psycho Delic with all he had.

“That’s not how this works, but I can see where you might be confused. I’m not asking you. I’m telling you.”

Mika could hear the sneer in the villain’s words. He responded with his own smirk.

“I’d like to see you try and make me.”

“Good luck with that one, kid. You can’t see a damn thing.”

That was the last thing Mika heard for a while. Psycho Delic forced him to inhale a different kind of smoke and he collapsed unconscious in a coughing fit.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxanne knocked on the door. Minion and Teresa shuffled nervously behind her. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say to him, but they needed his help.

Wayne Scott opened the door, confusion draped across his face. He turned to face Roxanne and she waited, letting him be the first to speak.

“Can I—Can I help you guys with something?”

Roxanne could tell that he was trying to avoid looking at Minion. The satisfaction she felt from his nervousness was overshadowed by her need to get Mika out of harm’s way.

“Mika’s been kidnapped by Psycho Delic and the police didn’t find them in his usual hiding spot.”

Roxanne saw the second that Wayne became Metro Man and was on red alert. He was still in his street clothes, but she could tell by the look in his eyes.

“When did he go missing?”

“T-ten this morning. He was almost finished buying a book from me when Psycho Delic came and took him and everything in the register. I-I don’t think he really wanted the money though. He wasn’t even annoyed when I came up short.”

“How much did he ask for?”

“He wanted $500, but I could only give him a little over $350.”

Metro Man nodded solemnly.

“It was definitely a premeditated kidnapping then. Otherwise you’d be hallucinating for several days.”

Roxanne took a deep breath and spoke up.

“I don’t think he anticipated that we would figure him out so quickly. He was completely covered except for his eyes. If we find him now, I think we’ll be able to catch him off-guard.”

Metro Man nodded. He was concentrating, but on what Roxanne did not know. He finally looked at Minion.

“Will you come with me? I’ll handle fighting Psycho Delic and his cronies and you can rescue Mika.”

Minion was only slightly startled by the fact that Metro Man had said anything to him at all.

“Yes. I’ll handle the rescue and you can do all the fighting.”

Metro Man nodded, a pleased grin settled on his face. He then turned to Roxanne and Teresa, his tone still serious.

“I’ll need you two to stay behind. Psycho is really good at causing hallucinations with his smokes and I don’t want you two to be caught in the crossfire.”

Roxanne wanted to protest, but she knew he was right. There was no chance she or Teresa would be of any use if they inhaled any of Psycho Delic’s smoke. She nodded solemnly.

Metro Man took off with Minion in tow. Turning to Teresa, Roxanne pulled out her cell and dialed the Warden’s number. He needed to know that someone was going to get his son back. She hoped that they brought Mika home before anything could happen to him.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Minion followed Metro Man as he led them to an abandoned subway stop. Minion could smell something sweet, which he assumed was some of Psycho Delic’s smoke.

“I can hear him laughing down there. He’s definitely here. You ready?”

Minion nodded and the two cautiously descended the stairs into the dim railway. The air was thick and Minion was grateful that his water diluted the stench of the haze they were walking through. He glanced over at Metro Man and noticed that he had a hand covering his nose and mouth. He didn’t appear to be struggling so Minion came to the conclusion that he was trying to block out the smoke, but wasn’t worried about any of its side effects.

Metro Man and Minion headed to where the smoke was thickest. Psycho Delic’s laughter was loud and clear. The two peered around the corner and saw the villain experimenting with his drugs. He had a wicked grin on his face, a look that made Minion nervous. He peered around the room and saw Mika’s body sprawled on the floor in the corner. Minion panicked for a few moments before noticing the shallow rise and fall of his brother’s chest and the ropes that bound him by the wrists to the floor.

Minion took a quiet breath and turned to Metro Man. The hero nodded and signaled for Minion to wait until he had Psycho’s undivided attention.

“Well, well, well. Two kidnappings within a span of two weeks? Feeling a little ambitious, aren’t you Psycho Delic?”

The villain turned to face Metro Man, a scowl replacing his grin.

“Metro Man. I shouldn’t be surprised to see you here.”

“And yet, you are. Release Dr. Roberts, Psycho, and we’ll finish this one-on-one.”

“No. I don’t think so. How about this: you leave me alone and I won’t reveal to all of Metro City the secrets of their Golden Boy.”

“What secrets? My identity isn’t even a secret!”

Metro Man sounded slightly nervous, but Minion couldn’t tell if it was genuine or if he was bluffing.

“Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps a past of cruelty as a child? That would certainly ruin your reputation. Do you think the people of Metro City would trust you if they found out you relentlessly bullied a blind child who could not defend itself?”

Metro Man froze for a split second. Minion watched as his gaze of justice faded into a scowl matching Psycho Delic’s.

“Is that right? You’re talking about me bullying a defenseless blind kid and doing the exact same thing! Go ahead and tell all of Metro City, but I am not going to enable you just because you know how stupid I was as a kid.”

Minion, for the first time in his entire life, wanted to cheer for Metro Man. He watched as Psycho Delic moved closer to the hero and decided to take the opportunity to get his brother out of there. He maneuvered his bulky suit around large amounts of what could only be described as junk and reached Mika. The blue man was unresponsive, but Minion focused on the fact that he was still breathing. If he didn’t, he knew he would not be able to help his brother. He took a quick glance back in Metro Man’s direction to make sure that Psycho Delic was completely preoccupied. The villain and hero were engaged in a fist fight, which was unlike Psycho Delic, but Minion was not about to try and figure out why when he needed to escape with his brother.

Minion carefully untied the knots that kept his brother prisoner and pulled him into his arms. Mika stirred slightly, but otherwise remained unconscious. Minion was about to look for an exit to sneak out of when he noticed that Psycho Delic was unconscious, tied up, and slung over Metro Man’s shoulder.

“You good to go?”

Minion was flabbergasted. Metro Man apparently was not one to waste time.

“Um, yeah.”

“Let’s head out then.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxanne watched as the Feds cleaned out Psycho Delic’s hideout. There was an unsettling amount of chemicals being carried out in biohazard bins. Roxanne knew she needed to film this story with Hal for their station, but she wanted nothing more than to go to the hospital and make sure that Mika was okay. The only thing she knew was that he was unconscious and his system was flooded with Psycho’s inhalants. Minion promised to let her know when he had more information, but she was antsy. Roxanne was not and never had been patient.

“Wow. This is crazy. Can you believe this Roxie?”

“Well Hal, I can’t say I’m completely surprised. This is Psycho Delic after all.”

“That’s true. Do you think Dr. Roberts is okay?”

“I hope so.”

Roxanne’s voice was barely a whisper as she turned away from the crime scene and headed back to the news van. She needed to see him.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dave set the cake in front of his son. Minion had spent the day trying to make his “Coming Home” party a success and thus far it had been. The old man smiled at the scene before him. Mika was sitting down with Roxanne at his side, holding his hand tightly. Minion and Teresa were excitedly taking pictures of everything. Professor Martinez was standing next to Wayne Scott, who was trying to avoid appearing as awkward as he looked.

The old man chuckled. Everything was good. His boys were safe and happy. And blue was the most wonderful color he had ever felt.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
